When Iris asserted that she believed he would be a just king, Cas felt warmth creep into his cheeks. Despite what she thought, other high borns didn’t often comment on the kind of ruler they predicted he would be. He’d been told of all the qualities he [i]needed[/i] to have: authority, steadfastness, confidence, charisma, et cetera, et cetera. But when it came to his eventual rule, it seemed like everyone had the same expectation. As long as the quality of life never changed in the capital, they didn’t care what else he did to leave his mark on Aspiria. Hearing her profess that she thought he was capable of great things left him tongue-tied.

As she explained that she wanted to be remembered for doing something meaningful, he couldn’t help but find it ironic how opposite their perspectives were. He had been born into a position where he had the power to effect change, and he would have given it up in a heartbeat to anyone who could do a better job than him. On the other hand, she was just a regular high born who aspired to do more with her life. If it had been so simple, he would have suggested that they should just trade places, but unfortunately, there was no good way to pass the crown off to someone outside the royal family without putting the stability of the entire country at risk.

[color=#b97703][i]At least, not outside of marriage,[/i][/color] he thought to himself, averting his gaze as if one of the paintings was suddenly interesting. The only way any high born in Aspiria could rise that high up in power was by marrying into the royal family, but there was no way he could bring up the topic even jokingly when he was starting to have real feelings for Iris. It would have been way too uncomfortable, so instead, he kept his mouth shut and let the subject drop on its own as she headed for the door.

[color=#b97703]“It’s fine,”[/color] he offered her a reassuring smile. [color=#b97703]“I’ve been here dozens of times, so we can look around at whatever pace you want.”[/color] As she brought up effecting change one more time, he considered her words more thoughtfully. He supposed she had a point that if someone had the ability to do something great, then they should take advantage of it. Perhaps he’d been taking his status as the crown prince for granted, but it was also daunting to know that he would soon have the power to hurt the country too. Politics was complicated business, especially with other powerful nations, and he didn’t want to be the one responsible for causing irreversible damage to his homeland if he messed up.

[color=#b97703]“I think you’re braver than I am,”[/color] he confessed, casting her a sheepish look. [color=#b97703]“‘With great power, comes great responsibility…’ That’s something I’ve been told all my life, and it hangs over my head every day. It’s kind of terrifying to know that I could make or break Aspiria when I succeed my dad.”[/color] Especially with the ongoing rebellion. It was hard to tell how heavy-handed the monarchy needed to be when dealing with the Scourge, since the movement was made up of Aspirian citizens. He certainly didn’t feel equipped to navigate the complexities of calming a restless people if the fighting didn’t stop before his father passed.

Eager to move on, he brightened again when Iris asked him which shops were the best. [color=#b97703]“Any that catch your eye,”[/color] he answered with a grin. [color=#b97703]“They’re all great, so we can stop by as many as you’d like. Just let me know if you see anything so find interesting.”[/color] With a wave of his hand, he took the lead along the sidewalk to keep moving along the circuit.

--

For the rest of the afternoon, they walked the rest of the way around the historic district, dipping in and out of shops whenever one of them spotted something they wanted to take a closer look at. Cas felt like time flew by in Iris’s company. She was easy to talk to, and her occasional jokes always made him laugh. He could think of plenty of actual dates he’d been on that had gone worse, and by the end of it, he found himself hoping once again that she was single.

When they got back to the parking lot where he’d left his car, Cas glanced at his phone to check the time. [color=#b97703]“We’ve got a couple hours left before dinner,”[/color] he mused. [color=#b97703]“Not enough time to go back to the mall, but… how about some ice cream? There’s a stand in the park we could stop by before we leave.”[/color] He paused, his dark eyes flicking down to her crutches, and quickly lifted his hands. [color=#b97703]“No pressure though. If you’re too tired, we can go back to my place to rest.”[/color]